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Opportunity

This year marks 20 years since I graduated from high school - Class of 2002! That probably sounds like a long time ago (smartphones didn’t even exist then), and truthfully, it was. But it feels like it was just yesterday.

I think about those four years a lot. At this point in my life, I can honestly say I don’t carry any regrets from those years. Sure, I made mistakes, I was full of uncertainty, and I failed at times, but anymore, the memories I carry from high school are good. I’m thankful for that time in my life.

Part of the reason I am so fond of my high school memories is that I realize how many opportunities lay ahead of me. Not “20 years ahead of me opportunity,” but right then, amid classes, friends, crushes, youth group, milestones like getting my license, and discovering the music I liked, opportunity. Right then, right there, opportunity.

High school, and junior high for that matter, are difficult and amazing years in a person’s life, years when you can seize opportunity and form a life that honors God.

There were many distractions in those years, and I would imagine there are a lot of distractions for you, too. Probably more for you. The world has only become more distracting over the past 20 years.

So, take a word of advice from someone who survived high school 20 years ago and remembers it fondly: these years are a golden opportunity to grow close to Jesus and to help everyone around you see how good He is. It is your opportunity to be a part of what God is doing in this generation.

No waiting for later.

No being too busy.

No excuses.

Now is the time to fall in love with Jesus. Now is the time to share His goodness with everyone around you. Now is the time to begin growing into a well-formed child of God.

If you see each day as an opportunity to grow in Jesus, a chance to seek God’s Kingdom first, then in 20 years, you’ll look back and thank God for the opportunity.

THINK ABOUT IT! What opportunities has God placed in your life to serve His purposes today?

REFLECT! Was there a time when you let the opportunity God placed in front of you slip away? Is it possible the opportunity still exists?

PRAY! Lord, you have given me a new day, which means I have a new opportunity to be a part of what you are doing in the world! Help me see the opportunities ahead of me today, and follow wherever You lead me today!